updated 07:50 am EDT, Mon July 4, 2011

HTC moves to fifth position behind Apple

Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC has recorded a huge increase in the sales of its mobile phones over the past year. For the month of June, HTC's smartphone sales were 87.8% higher than June last year and helped arrest a slide in its stock price, which had dropped 19% since June 7. HTC's booming sales has seen it move to the position of the number five handset maker in the world, one place behind Apple, which is holding down the number four position according to Gartner.

Much of HTC's success has come on the back of its adoption of Google's Android OS, which according to Gartner owned a 36% share of mobile operating system market globally in May. According to Reuters, this has helped move HTC into a position where it is expected to ship around 50 million smartphones this financial year.

HTC and Apple are currently locked in a lawsuit wrangle with Apple accusing HTC of copying its patented iPhone and iOS technology. The Apple initiated lawsuit is considered by many to be a proxy war against Google, which Apple considers has copied its multi-touch OS interface. Apple has taken a similar stance with another major Android smartphone competitor (and manufacturing partner) Samsung.